? ? ? ?

I'm sitting here staring at the computer screen trying to think of something worth blogging about. (I think my creativity has gone on early vacation.) I've been gone a lot lately which explains my lack of posting. I wish I had a camera small enough to fit comfortably in my purse. If I did I would have pictures of several places and things I've done over the past week.

Since I last posted, we sold my parent's home (that I inherited) and bought another one closer to where we are. The process of doing that is very time consuming. The next step is getting it ready to rent. The major work on the outside is change the color of the paint . (Teal green just doesn't quite thrill us.) The inside only needs to be wiped down , swept and I will shampoo the carpet just so I know it will be fresh. There's some yard work to do to clean it up a little and take out a fountain in the backyard. It is actually in excellent condition.

We have half way through the Daniel Bible study and it is getting better each week. We are now in week sever: the study of eschatology. The first time I did this study was in the Fall of 2006. What a different world we live in today than then!

Tonight we had dinner with some friends who just returned from spending several years as missionaries in Japan. It was so nice to see then again! We took them out to eat then came back to our house for visiting and dessert. We could have talked the night away! There are friendships that just pick up where it left off -- that's the way this one is!

Now that I have bored you to tears, I'll close and hopefully have something more interesting to post about tomorrow :)

Love,

Scripture Memory Challenge

My scripture verse to memorize for the next two weeks will be Psalm 139:6:

"Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain."

This verse has been the sentiments of my heart this week. I've almost been overwhelmed by the blessings of God in my life. I've told Him that I know I haven't deserved His abundant blessings and goodness but I thank you for them . . . all of them.

I'm sure you have much to be thankful for, too. Have you told Him today how much you love and appreciate Him?

Love,

I will remember!

I forgot something last night.

No, I did not forget to set our clocks forward . . . . but I forgot that my new alarm clock on my nightstand is the type that has time zone settings.

Do you realize what that means? It means that it will automatically adjust daylight savings time for you. And . . . I set mine 1 hour ahead before going to bed last night.

I needed to wash my hair and bake a cinnamon streusel for Sunday School class this morning, so I set the alarm for 6:00 a.m. It was really 5:00 a.m. because the clock had automatically adjusted itself forward 1 hour. (By the sun it was 4:00 a.m.)

Talk about stupid! I realized what had happened when I put the streusel in the oven. I was expecting the clock in the kitchen to show the time to be 7:30 a.m. but instead it was 6:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m. by the sun)!

What you bet I WON'T forget this come next Fall when the time changes back. (2 hours forward! Mercy!)

I sure hope hubs has an extremely exciting sermon this morning or else I know someone who will be workin' hard to keep her eyes open and her head from noddin'!

Have a blessed Sunday.

Love,

Don't forget!

Don't forget to turn your clocks

FORWARD ONE HOUR TONIGHT

OR

you will be LATE to church :)

Love,

At turtle-warp speed . . .

Bryce is officially mobile! He is so cute (of course).

He makes me think of a little turtle when he crawls.

He has a very pleasant personality and disposition.
He warms my ♥ when he smiles.
Ahh, I'm in love . . . again! :)

Love,

Ask more than once!

Last Fall I shared a video by Mark Gungor and his take on men's brains vs. women's brains: "The Tale of Two Brains".

I am taking my Sunday School class through his DVD series. This Sunday will be our 5th session. The class is learning and is really enjoying the material, especially the delivery -- he's a hoot!

Here's another clip from the seminar. I have a question for you after you watch this video.

Enjoy!




My question is this: If we have to ask men more than once, tell me, when does it become nagging?

Love,

You know you've stayed too long when . . . .

I had to run some errands this afternoon and also had a hair appointment. Lunch for me today finally arrived around 5:00 p.m. After I ate I stopped at Wal-Mart to do a little shopping. As I was leaving I was reminded of a funny thing that happened to me approximately a year ago.

I was at Wal-Mart -- again -- on a bright sunny evening. I had quite a bit of shopping to do and since Wal-Mart is a one-stop-shopping-place, it can take a long time to get everything you need. Also, depending on the day of the week and the time of day, check out can turn into a lengthy process.

I finished my shopping, made it through check out and was on my way out of the store. I reached into my purse, put on my sunglasses, and began making my way to the car. I begin to notice that people were extra friendly and I received many smiles and nods (especially from men). I thought, "Do I have something on my face? Do I look especially nice today? Is my hair standing on end? What??" Most of the time people don't even acknowledge one another unless they happen to know each other. Anyway, I just smiled back and proceeded to the door. As I came around the corner I soon discovered the reason for the "attention". It was as black as midnight outside and I was wheeling my shopping cart while sporting a pair of sunglasses -- for crying out loud!

Well, you know you've stayed too long in the store when the sun has left the sky and the moon has risen for the night!



Good night my friends,

Scripture Memory Challenge

This is segment five of our scripture memorization -- all ready! I am so excited to be doing this. This plan is simple and will help me to be consistent.

Consistent. A word that can be a challenge for me in some areas. Case in point: This is March 4 and I was supposed to put this post up on March 1. :) Anyway, here's verse 5:

"You hem me in -- behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me."

Psalm 139:5

If you are memorizing scripture, I would love for you to share what you are working on right now.

Love,

A and B

The ladies of our church are doing the Daniel Bible study on Monday nights and Thursday mornings. A week ago we studied chapter three which tells of the three Hebrew boys who were delivered through a fiery furnace trial -- literally. We learned that there can be three scenarios for when God allows us to go through a fiery trial in our life: A, B, & C.

• 
  
  Scenario A: Delivered FROM the fire. When the trial doesn't come to life. Dividend? Our faith is built.

• 
  
  Scenario B: Delivered THROUGH the fire. We experience the trial but God brings us through with victory. Dividend? Our faith is refined.


• 
  
  Scenario C: Delivered BY the fire into His Arms. We go home to our eternal reward. Dividend? Our faith is perfected.

In any of these scenarios, the child of God wins!

As I have shared in previous posts, I have a friend who the doctors feared had ovarian cancer. Now, as we gals know, so many times that is usually a death sentence, especially when one has a tumors is the size of a cantaloupe!

My prayer for her from the beginning was that the doctors would be amazed when they did the surgery and found that it was not what they expected. That's EXACTLY what happen!

She did not have cancer: Scenario A - She was delivered FROM having cancer and FROM having to go through all the treatments.

She did have surgery -- a complete hysterectomy: Scenario B - She was delivered THROUGH surgery and did well. (BTW she is home after only 3 days!)

So, she experienced Scenario A & B. Our morning class asked me to thank her for being the subject of an awesome object lesson during our Bible study :) They are so fun. Needless to say, we are rejoicing around here!


♥

Since my last post . . .

I have taken an unplanned break from blogging to focus on some other things. Here's a few things that have transpired since I last posted ( I just love bullets -- they make things simple):

*We celebrated a dear lady's 90th birthday.

*We celebrated another lady's 50th birthday.

*One of my best friends received very bad news. The doctors feared she had ovarian cancer. They said there was a tumor on each ovary and one was the size a a cantaloupe!

*I sat with my friend's family during her surgery. To their amazement, it WAS NOT cancer! The large tumor was basically like a water balloon. There was no tumor on the other ovary. This is EXACTLY what we prayer would happen!

*I have been "babying" my knee :)

*Because I am "babying" my knee, I have hired a housekeeper :)

Girls, I AM MILKING this thing for all it's worth!

*I have facilitated 4 more Bible study sessions (a total of 8 in February)

*I have hosted a ladies meeting and annual planning session.

*I should have attended a funeral, but no one told me until it was over!

*I have been living a wonderful -- but crazy -- life!

I have been trying to get some things in order and bring some peace into my life (I'm most talking about the peace that only God can give) but peace that having projects finished and closet clutter and cabinet clutter cleaned out and organized can bring.

In the following clip, Lucy is collecting items for the ladies bazaar, but Ricky thinks shes a kleptomaniac. So while Lucy is cluttering her closets with items for the bazaar, I'm working at keeping mine cleaned out.

Enjoy!

♥

Scripture Memory Challenge

Continuing on with my memorizing Psalm 139 in 2009, this is the verse for February 15 - 28.

"Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord."
Psalm 139:4

The Bible teaches us that there is life and death in the tongue. This scripture reminds us that God knows our words before we even think or speak them. I pray that my words will bring life to others; to encourage and heal wounds caused by the cruelty of life.

Psalm 139 reveals that our God knows us intimately. He knows everything about us; past, present and future. What a comfort to have someone who loves us regardless of our flaws. Isn't He just awesome?!!

♥

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentine's Day

to all my friends!

AND
Happy Birthday Valerie!

♥

This and that

This has been such a busy week. I won't bore you with the details. It's 8:30 P.M. and I have been home just a short while.

I had some shopping to do for the office -- a new fax machine and supplies. There were several other errands to tend to. One of my errands was to exchange one of these mugs at Cracker Barrel. It had a hairline fracture in the bottom. While I was there, I noticed they had two more with different words on them. The complete set of four is "Love", "Faith", "Courage" and "Believe".

Here's a close up of the mugs.

They are a Tuscan style and just the size that Hubs likes. I simply thought they were pretty.

Also I had to finish shopping for my sweet Valentines --all four of them! (It's so fun being a wife, mom and a Grammie! )

This is for our little grandson.

And this for our granddaugther.
The van is a part of the accessories for her doll house we gave her for Christmas.

I got Hubs and our son and DIL the same thing.
The "Fireproof" DVD (they didn't have it in blueray) and
chocolate almond m & m's.

Tah, Dah!
They're finished and ready to go!

On Wednesday, I keep my grandchildren. My granddaughter has discovered how to make hearts. She has been cranking out ♥s like there was no tomorrow. She can do crafts for the longest! I love it when her creative juices get to flowing!

Here's some of her work. EVERYONE received a "card". She's four and does a great job of writing. If you click on the pictures you can see the ones she wrote on.

Our grandson had his creative juices flowing, too -- literally :)
While his sister was doing crafts, he was brushing up on his musical skills.
See, he's discovered a new way to play the flute.

Sunday afternoon there will be a birthday party at the church for a dear lady who will turn 90 years old. She still lives alone and drives! Her mind is very clear and sharp. She is my mother-in-law's best friend. They are so cute together. They are out and about as much a 7 days a week. One of my stops tonight was to pick up a card for her. I was so surprised when I found a card for the 90th birthday!

Well, I guess that should be enough to put you to sleep.
Good night!

♥

and the results are . .

I had an appointment with the doctor yesterday to have him check my knee. I experienced very good results from the shot and medication (both just for inflammation). He actually released me! He said that I inevitably would be having surgery due to the damaged cartilage. He told me to "baby" the knee -- no kneeling (Oh well, I didn't like to kneel to pray anyway - prefer sitting or standing.) or squating, blah, blah, blah. I can still exercise as long as it doesn't hurt. I was very thrilled and thankful!

Hmmm. . . can you imagine how much mileage I might be able to get out of this "baby the knee" thing ?!! :0

♥

I've lost it!

No. . . . I haven't lost it mentally :) (Some days my husband might like to debate that with you.)

So what did I lose? The pictures of our Bible study groups. :( For some reason, my card has been "dropping" pictures -- at various times. I have more than one card, so I guess I'll have to pitch the bad one.

This has been a crazy week. We are in the process of selling a house (about 2 hours away) and looking for another one to buy. This can be very time consuming but fun.

Also, I received a telephone call from a dear lady in our church (T) who is facing surgery very soon. She has a very large tumor on her ovary. Her husband remembers the doctor saying it was 15 cm. and she remembers him saying 13 cm. No matter which it is -- that's HUGE! (Remember, girlfriends, 10 cm is the measurement we are so desperately waiting for when we give birth.)

The doctor tells her that he believes it is malignant. I don't want to even go there. I gave her several scriptures to "stand on" and told her I would be praying that the doctors would be surprised when they tested the tumor during surgery and found it to be benign . There was some good news for her in the midst of this nightmare; her liver levels are normal; and the CA125 test results were normal. (That means if it is cancer, it has not spread.)

Thursday night, myself, another friend (C) and T met for dinner then we went to T's house to help her get it in order so that she could feel ready for surgery. There were still 2 rooms that needed attention, so I went back on Friday night and helped her finish up. Her entire family was coming on Saturday to celebrate her birthday. So, having a clean house made her feel much better. Especially since she's having some pain and nausea at times. So, please, if you would, pray for her and her family.

I go back to the doctor for my knee tomorrow. I had mentioned a few months ago that it was giving me trouble. I went to see a specialist in January. He have me a shot in the knee (BTW, that did not hurt.) I have some damaged cartilage but I also had 100 lbs. of luggage fall on the side/back of the knee coming home from vacation. Anyway, it's doing much better -- at least until I moved some furniture at T's house. It's a little swollen today. I will have to explain -- big time -- that it really is doing great! Do you think he will believe me?

I have no pictures of my adventurous week. (Even if I did take some, my card would have deleted them!)

However, my son emailed me this one from his phone this morning (during church - bad, bad, Grammie). They were playing in their playroom when he took this. Little B is sport'n his new wheels :) Big sister loves him so-o-o much! I thought it was CUTE! ♥ them so much!


♥

Bible Study Results

We had our Bible study last night. We are doing Beth Moore's "Daniel: Lives of Integrity and Words of Prophecy". I did this study two years ago and I'm so exited to review to it again. (And, there's no pressure in getting my homework complete -- it already is !) We are facilitating a Monday night and a Thursday morning this time.

I am so thrilled to be breaking the Word with the ladies. We have some visitors who have never been in a Bible study before! Isn't that just awesome? We are reaching out beyond our "walls" and that excites me.

♥ Love,

Emmie's Miracle

At church last night we had Super Bowl Sunday. We have a man in our church that really does an awesome job of smoking ribs. So . . we had a rib dinner, pot luck items brought to compliment the ribs and, of course, football!

Since half time can present some"issues" for Christian viewers (ie. Janet. Jackson and her infamous clothing ), we turn off the game and have a devotion. This year Emmie's mom gave the devotion and shared little Emmie's miracle. Emmie had hydrops syndrom. Only 10% of the babies who develop this survive birth. Then, only 50% of that 10% live. Even if a child survives, they are at high great risk for blindness, heart disease, lung problems, liver damage just to mention a few. Emmie has NONE these. The doctors who do not believe in healing from The Healer, could only shake their head.

To me, all babies are a miracle. When I look at the little hands and feet, face, eyes -- everything perfect -- its a miracle! Then there are precious little ones like Emmie who experience great difficulty in sustaining life. "But there is a God in heaven" (Daniel 2) who is sovereign and and hear's his children's cry. Emmie is a living, breathing testimony to God's miraculous healing power. Her parents, family and friends are ever grateful and are careful to give God all the glory for what he has done for them.

Here are a few pics of Emmies first few weeks of life:

In the NICU at mercy hospital.
(Great Nanny, Mommy, Grammy and Emmie)

A rare moment of sleeping in mommy's arms.

Baby Emmie with her big brother, Bryte.

And, Emmie last night, February 1, 2009, 7 months of age
and her grateful mother, Jaclyn.

I couldn't resist having a picture made with her.
Isn't she just precious?!!

We read in Bible of miracles that Jesus performed when he was here on earth. Let this story be a reminder that He still performs miracles today. Jesus came to Emmie and touched her and she has been made WHOLE by His healing power. Our God is no respecter of persons -- He doesn't show favoritism. What He may do for one, He will do for another. We just need to believe and trust Him.

If you need a miracle today, Christ is ready, willing and waiting to touch you and your situation.

Love,

Scripture Memory Challenge

I'm continuing on with my scripture memory challenge of memorizing Psalms 139 in it entirety over the course of 2009:

vs. 3

"You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways."

This method is awesome. We have two weeks to memorize each verse and by the end of the year, we will have 24 different passages memorized. In my case, it will be an enitre chapter! Awesome.

We can't afford NOT to be students of the Word, because it's the ONLY defensive weapon we have against the enemy. I don't know about you, but I want me a good weapon to defend myself against Satan and his tactics!

Are you memorizing, too? If so, please share what you are memorizing.

Love,

It's over

Guess where I am today?

That's right, my days off came to an end. :(

The sleet and ice are still layered pretty thick. It's very slick in the areas that have not been cleared - such as our parking lot!

I don't know if it's the weather or what, but I need a "root" job very badly. I called my hairdresser thinking that he would probably be backlogged with appointments due to having to cancel b/c of the icy weather but . . .

guess what?

I have an appointment TODAY 4:00!

Woo Who!

The reason I'm so excited is that:

1. My hair grows extremely fast and I need a trim;

2. Because it grows fast, my color touch up comes around often;

3. I looked in the mirror -- real closely -- last night and I gasped at how badly

I needed help!!

4. Saturday we will probably have another funeral (elderly lady) and one needs good

hair for a funeral;

5. Saturday night we are taking our church to a concert

(need good hair when going to the big city) :)

So, I'm going to get back to work, go get my hair done, come back to work then when I get to a good stopping place, I'll go home.

Hope you're having a great Thursday!

Update: Hair came out great. He also updated my highlights!

Love,